Surviving The Struggles

Courtesy of Marcus Povey/
Creative Commons License

In the middle of a marathon a few years back, I really began to struggle.  I was becoming drained physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.  One might have thought that I didn’t train hard, when in reality I had worked harder than I ever had before.  Even though I completed the race it was a journey that I would never forget.  There were moments when I felt like the only person on the road, other times when I was in excruciating pain and then lastly confusion as to why I was doing this.

Maybe you are going through a season of ministry where you are just completely depleted.  Maybe last Friday’s events in Newtown have you in a cloud.  Ministry is tough and it can be draining.

In ministry it’s easy to find yourself surviving the struggles of ministry and getting caught up in these seasons where purpose, energy and motivation are challenged.  When you hit a crazy season like this the best thing to do is to:

• Think Small Steps: Set for yourself mini goals.  Even if those goals take you day to day, they’ll help you move forward.  It might be reorganizing some paperwork, cleaning out your inbox or writing the rough draft to a future message.  It’s with the small goals that we build momentum for the big ones.  In other words small steps lead to big gain.

• Focus On Health:  Part of the reason seasons are hectic is due to the lack of sleep, margin and the increase of junk you consume.  While it might not be the best time to train for a marathon, it is a time where you need to lean into the battle.  Granted you might slip up; however, it’s better than falling behind by losing all inhibitions.  Your health is key to how efficiently you move through the mess.

• Revisit Your Vision: It’s easy in these crazy seasons to forget the purpose of why you do what you do.  You can almost feel insane, but it’s just the devil trying to dissuade you.  Make sure you have people in your life cheering you on.  Revisit your vision statement.  Find a moment or two to ask God to remind you why He’s placed you in your ministry.

Ministry can be a true battle.  Sometimes they are represented in world wide seasons like Christmas, other times they are ones you battle on your own.  Ministry is not meant to be easy, but it is possible when you return to the basics and allow God to lead you.  Just lean in, push forward and look up…you’ll do this.

How do you move through the chaos?